What to think of the new chief media officer rebuttalist at DIT (thread) https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jul/23/uk-trade-department-to-tackle-fake-news-with-new-rebuttal-expert-role?__twitter_impression=true

1) Clearly there is a lot of wrong information on trade out there. And an incredible lack of nuance.

2) I have repeatedly expressed the deepest respect for what the civil servants at DIT have achieved. And I continue to do so.

3) The press work of the government, however, has not risen above the level of the debate. It shows a lack of nuance. And lots of spin.

4) So the fear is that the anti-spin press officer will just be a spin doctor. And so the debate continues to consist of spin until we are all dizzy.

5) The information needs to come from outside experts. DIT should adopt a policy of openness towards them. Will they be critical? You bet! Will they be one-sided? Some of them will - and the public will learn who is and who isn’t. But one thing is clear...

6) A DIT press officer would by definition have to take the position of the government. It’s a government press spokesperson. The policy won’t achieve its goal.
In fact. I’m not sure this actually changes anything.